Chronicle of the Scavenger Lands (Exalted 3E) - IC

[jaydude]

After Ryan is done paying for the group's drinks, the three exalts make their way to the dilapidated warehouse Ailera mentioned. True to her word, the warehouse is devoid of other humans, and her skills are more than enough to get everyone inside.

"I have to wonder when this place was last used. Before the Great Contagion, perhaps?" Mara quips as she looks at the dust covering every surface she can see. The Water Aspect then closes her eyes and focuses, before opening her eyes again and looking at the other two.

"It's clear. Let's talk." she says, turning her gaze onto Ryan. "You said you knew a companion who could lead us to greater treasures than the queen could offer?"

 

[Rykon]

"I do, but there is something you should know before I continue. While the queen may not be an Anathema, there is one among her allies who is. It is he that possesses the knowledge we seek. Do you still wish to continue hearing what I have to say?"

 

[Sherwood]

Ailera raises an eyebrow. This one has dealings with other Solars! But he's a Dragon-Blood. Isn't he? "No wonder you wanted to talk in a quiet place. I know many that would pay dearly for a confirmed sighting of one of the Sun or Moon Touched. It does make me curious as to who your contact is. Personally, I have no problems dealing with just about anyone." Except those damn Fate-Weavers. I have not forgotten the lives of my friends lost to the plots of the Sidereals. "I would like to hear more."

 

[jaydude]

Mara doesn't seem surprised to hear that Ryan is working with at least one other Solar. Nor does the information appear to bother her; if anything, she seems more intrigued now.

"So you're friends with one of the Solars, are you?" she asks. "Your offer's already sounding more intriguing...and profitable."

 

[Rykon]

Ryan smiles as he speaks, "I see you two have wisdom behind that beauty. I should count myself lucky to have met you both. That said, I will not have my friend's neck on the line alone."

With that statement, Ryan drew Warden and let its gleaming gold blade sink into the deteriorating floors of the warehouse.

"Now... my plan is thus... When the queen takes her throne to rule her people she will need money to rebuild and power to restore stability. This gives us a grace period to stay, collect, make some friends, party, all that fun stuff we so love to do in our free time. Where will the money in the treasury have gone? Well I will wager much of it will be spent to put blood on my friend here." Ryan said as his eyes pointed to Warden.

"So the scholar... well, artificer. He is an expert in gems, mines, and first age history of the Shogunate. I witnessed his talent a couple days ago in my own camp. He has pledged to aid the exiled queen and she will certainly need to tap this knowledge to stay in power." Ryan paused as he made a mock drawing in the dust of the warehouse. "Here's the river, here's the city, and here's all this territory here where we would be on the bleeding edge of all scavenging expeditions and mine reclamations relating to his intelligence."

Ryan took a step back to let Ailera and Mara ponder the scope of opportunities here. "Assuming she will be grateful for the prompt and thorough resolution of her exile, which should be a given, I see no reason as to how we could pass through this place hungry and unpaid. Hells, we could even try to expand your fleet with the spoils my fair Lady. So... What are your thoughts?"

 

[Sherwood]

Ailera once more raises an eyebrow. Is he trying to imply that he's a Solar, too, without actually saying so much out loud? That is . . . awesome! I get to meet not just one of the great Solars, but two! Trying to keep her poker face on, she says, "Well, I hazard a guess that when the daughter takes the throne, she will be most grateful and will reward those that are loyal to her. But, before she does get her hands on the royal treasury, it will take money to finance such an effort. Paying men with an empty purse does little good. That being said, I have no doubt that there are many that would stand in our way that have treasures aplenty, and a skilled acquirer of goods could remove such treasures to sell and be able to finance this little effort."

She lets her eyes sparkle at the thought of invading some noble's home and stealing everything valuable and leaving the hapless person in just their underwear. "I might just know someone that could help out with that."

 

[Rykon]

Ryan raises an eyebrow, curious. "Oh? Do you have a mark in mind that deserves such humbling? I'm not one for simple theft, but if you can sell me on the mark and the prize it could be a simple solution for funding this mission."

 

[jaydude]

Listening to Ryan's proposal, Mara looks interested as he talks about how the three of them could use Ysandre's plight to fill their own pockets. Her eyes are also drawn to the orichalcum blade of Warden as Ryan draws it from its sheath, and she looks at him with a raised eyebrow and a knowing smile.

"That's as alluring a proposition as any." she says once Ryan is done talking, before she turns her attention to Ailera at the Night Caste's mention of someone who can help finance them early on.

 

[Sherwood]

Ailera shakes her head. "I don't know the names of the big players in that city, so I'd have to do a bit of research. Not to mention that we don't want to alienate any potential supporters by robbing them instead. I'd need to know who the princesses' allies are, besides you, of course. Getting that information won't be hard. I'm sure that the local thieves already have this knowledge, and I would just need to touch base with them."

 

[Rykon]

Ryan nods, "Makes sense, I will need to make contact with them and arrange a meeting with all of us present. For now I can float some down time, but I for one am already eager to get started. So, I will need to know how to find both of you when I have a time and place to come together." Ryan looks specifically at Ailera, remembering he hasn't caught her name yet.

 

[jaydude]

"My ship is in the city dock." Mara says with a shrug of her shoulders, before providing both Ryan and Ailera with a physical description in case they need to find it. "If I'm not there when you show up with the time and place, one of my crew will pass the information onto me."

 

[Sherwood]

She replies, "I'm staying at the Dancing Gryphon Inn. Just ask for Ailera. I'll be in and out a bit, but you can leave me a message and I'll be back to you."

 

[Rykon]

Ryan smiles and gives a courteous bow, "Well then, my gorgeous ladies, I shall get to work. I look forward to working with both of you."

Once the meeting had concluded, Ryan returned Warden to its sheath. He then departed to gather his entourage and inquire about a man matching Quill's description with the local merchants.

 

[jaydude]

With Ryan...
Ryan's inquiries about Quill direct him to the Market District of the city. When he first enters the plaza, his eyes are immediately drawn to a large crowd of people that surrounds the fountain, their attention directed inwards, though to what Ryan cannot see. He can however hear a voice coming from within the crowd, loud and haughty and possessing all the passion of a great roaring fire.

"...follow the five Dilligent Practices. Hear a recital of an Immaculate Text at least once a month, in the company of at least 17 other followers of the Philosophy. Respect and honor spirits only according to the calendar and in the specific rites set down by the Immaculate Order, and worship no spirit, elemental, small god or Anathema. Imitate in word and deed the honorable behaviors of the five Immaculate Dragons..."

With Ailera...
"Well, I think I'll be heading off now. See you later." Mara says to the Night caste with a smile, before she too takes her leave.

 

[Rykon]

Ryan exhales a deep sigh then turns about. "Well, gonna be hard to ask questions in the shadow of all this wailing... Might as well look elsewhere." He peered about looking out for any watchmen at the perimeter of the Markets. Should he would find one, he'd make the following inquiry until he could find a lead on the man's trail.

"Sir, I'm looking for an artisan scholar wearing remarkably exquisite jewelry accompanied by a shy but determined young woman. Any idea where they could be?"

 

[Sherwood]

Ailera makes her farewells to Mara and Ryan, then heads out to get some more information on Nalia and Alsein, and the various nobles on either side of the issue of the line of succession. Time to get up to speed on this. I need to know more about the major players in this party. Where to start?

She decides to start popping into the various taverns to listen by the docks to the various comments being made about the whole situation, and to try and get some names of those that would most likely be against the princess taking the throne in the wake of her fathers death. With a few well placed questions, Ailera wants to milk the crowd for all they know.

Spoiler

I am going to use Mastery of Small Manners to make sure she fits into the various bars and not stand out, and will use my Infinite Resplendence Amulet to make her clothes fit in, and not be too gaudy.

 

[Esbilon]

Elsewhere...
Quill and Ysandre return to an inn they passed on their trip between the city gate and the Market District, a moderately wealthy place called the Wanderer's Rest. As they step inside, they find the place about a quarter full, with the other customers either enjoying drinks or polite conversation with each other, mostly revolving around their recent journeys. The vast majority of them are wearing clothes and boots made for travelling, hiking, or work in the wild.

Shortly after the two of them enter, they are approached by a young and friendly looking brown-haired woman who wears a white shirt and a brown, ankle-length skirt. "Hello, you two. Are you planning to rent a room, or just get something to eat and drink?" she asks politely.

Quill gives a slight bow of his head to the waitress, before gesturing towards Ysandre, as if to say 'what would be your desicion?'

"I do not believe we will have need of a room," Ysandre responds with a smile that though slight does reach her eyes. "But food and drink will be appreciated."

Recalling the ring she saw at the jeweler's, she looks around the room for anyone who may resembled the good count-in-exile.

 

[Red Shadow Claws]

"Plenty of food" Quill added, and to punctuate it, he tapped his belly. After the waitress leaves he turns to Ysandre "We have things to discuss, but I also need to meet someone by myself to see if we can get more information. Would you prefer to discuss things here and now?"

 

[Esbilon]

"Which things do you have in mind?" She ask softly, turning her attention back to the other Solar.

 

[Red Shadow Claws]

Quill smiles "your weapon, for one. Your identity might be another. As well as asking too many questions about your home. I'm not saying that you should abandon it all. But do let others help you."

 

[Esbilon]

"I think," Ysandre says, her brow furrowed in thought, "that those questions might be better posed once we have returned to camp. For one they are ones I would prefer outsiders did not hear, and for another they are ones that Ryan should also know the answer to."

 

[Red Shadow Claws]

"Fair enough." Quill said, the smile still on his face

 

[jaydude]

With Quill and Ysandre...
"Of course." replies the woman to Ysandre and Quill's request for food and drink. She arranges for the two of them to be seated at an empty table in a corner of the bar, with drinks and bowls of stew being served to them soon afterwards. A few pairs of eyes captivated by Ysandre's beauty are drawn to look at her, but Ysandre sees no sign of the count the jeweler talked about.

With Ryan...
Ryan walks away from the crowd, the heat of the speaker's words continuing to permeate the area.

"Obey the Dragon-blooded, the descendants and disciples of the Immaculate Dragons and the closest to enlightenment. Resist the commands of the Anathema, who obey only their own desires, and seek to drive our world to ruin."

Ignoring the speaker's words, the Dawn caste is soon able to find a guard who recalls seeing Quill and Ysandre after they left the jeweler's shop, and he is pointed towards the Wanderer's Rest Inn.

With Ailera...
Thanks to her Charm and the disguise provided by her Infinite Resplendence Amulet, Ailera is able to successfully pose as a local while making her inquiries. Unfortunately, said inquiries yield no useful results at first; Nalia is over a hundred miles south of here, and besides the council representatives of nations seeking its favor, no-one in Marita seems to know much, or be particularly bothered about who sits on the throne there.

That said, after trying and failing to get some information out of yet another bartender, Ailera is approached by a dark-haired young man who is dressed in the typical attire of a dockworker here, but there is something about his bearing and manner that, to Ailera's trained eye, suggests he is more than just a common laborer.

"Greetings, mon chéri. Forgive me for approaching you like this, but I could not help overhearing you asking about the situation in Nalia earlier." he says with a polite, albeit shifty-looking smile.

 

[Rykon]

Ryan would make his way back through town to the inn, making sure he did little to attract any more attention than an average mercenary. Upon his arrival, he would hand off Warden to one of his followers and have them wait outside. "Order food to eat out here if you want, just keep the weapon out of sight of the patrons. We have no idea if they are in the midst of delicate work." With that, he took a peek inside to see if he could catch a glimpse of his traveling companions before heading in to join them.

 

[jaydude]

Peeking through the door, Ryan would indeed see Quill and Ysandre sat in their corner.